Kill the Cubicle! – Modern Office Design Will Increase Productivity

When was the last time you had a good look around the office you are sitting in, maybe right now as you read this? Are you stuck in a cubicle with boring-looking IKEA furniture? What is the feeling you are getting, are you feeling productive?

It may not come as a complete surprise but the work we do in our office week out and week in is far more productive if the work takes place in a well designed office. A well designed office design signals the values and objectives of your company and the use of design in office interiors communicates a company’s values and identity. So why is it that so many companies still stuck with boring, unattractive and ultimately unproductive office designs? In most cases as always it comes down to two factors, office design cost both money and time. But those are short sighted costs.

Companies of today need to meet the business needs of today, most companies have a remote or mobile workforce, have diverse employee demographics, specific corporate and branding objectives and have an international workforce and global clients. Office design has to reflect this. Companies need to rethink the very fundamentals of office design. Gone is the 1960’s legacy of workplaces dominated by cubicles and private offices. Office design founded on employee privacy and individuality is no longer.

Today’s office design is led by the realisation that collaboration is an increasingly critical ingredient the success of basically any business. But giving up the individual space, which cubicles and private offices give employees, on behalf of cooperation and collaboration of course doesn’t fit all companies. As in most contexts the “one-size-fits-all” approach hardly ever works out. E.g. web programmers spitting out code need more privacy than salespeople using the telephone.

When it comes to office design, function often follows form. When an office is configured to maximize employee interaction then collaboration becomes an integral part of every workday. Office designs based on setting up work areas wherever they are needed in the building can raise satisfaction while boosting density. Multi-purpose spaces, central placed common areas are examples of strategic office designs.

Today there are many exciting office design techniques and products that can help you get more from your workspace, strategic office design reflecting cooperation and collaboration. Long gone are the cubical nightmares in grey surroundings. Have another look around where you are sitting, time for n new office design. An office redesign can insert energy and life into a company and its employees. Let’s kill the cubicle!